The Eternal
Redemption
< John 8:1-12 >
"But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning He came
again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and
taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in
adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, 'Teacher,
this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law,
commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?' This they said,
testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus
stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not
hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them,
'He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.' And
again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being
convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest
even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the
midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said
to her, 'Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?'
She said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said to her, 'Neither do I condemn you; go
and sin no more.' Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of
the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of
life.'"
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How much
sin
did Jesus blot out?
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All the
sins of the world
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Jesus gave us eternal redemption. There is no
one in this world who cannot be redeemed if anyone believes in Jesus as his/her
Savior. He redeemed us all. If there is a sinner who agonizes over his/her
sins, it is because of the person's misconception of how Jesus has delivered
him/her from all sins with His baptism and crucifixion.
We should all know and believe in the secret
of salvation. Jesus took over all our sins with His baptism and has born the
judgment for our sins by dying on the Cross.
You should believe in the salvation of the
water and the Spirit; the eternal redemption from all sins. You should believe
in His great love that has already made you righteous. Believe in what He has
done for your salvation at the Jordan river and on the Cross.
Jesus knew about all our concealed sins, too.
Some people have a misconception about sin. They think that some sins cannot be
redeemed. Jesus has redeemed all sins, every single one of them.
There is not a sin in this world that He has
left out. Because He has blotted out all the sins in this world, the truth is
that there are no more sinners. Do you realize that the gospel has redeemed all
your sins, even your future sins? Believe in it and be saved, and give all of
the glory to God.
The
Woman Who Was Caught in the Act of Adultery
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How many
people
in the world
commit adultery?
|
|
All of
them
|
In John 8, there is a story of a woman who
was caught in the act of adultery and we see how Jesus saved her. We'd like to
share the grace that she received. It isn't too much to say that all human
beings commit adultery at some point in their lives. Every single person
commits adultery.
If you don't think so, it is only because we
do it so often that it appears as though we don't. Why? We live with so much
adultery in our lives.
Taking a look at the woman in John 8, I
contemplate on whether or not there is a person among us who hasn't committed
adultery. There is no one who has not committed adultery, just as the woman who
was caught in the act of adultery. All of us have done it, but we pretend that
we haven't.
Do you think I am wrong? No, I am not. Look
carefully within. Everyone on the face of the earth has done it. They commit
adultery while gazing at women on the street, in their thoughts and in their
acts, anytime, anywhere.
They just don't realize they are doing it.
There are a lot of people who don't realize until the day they die that they
have innumerably committed adultery throughout their lives. Not just those who
have been caught, but all of us who have never been caught. All people do it in
their minds, and in their acts. Is this not a part of our lives?
Are you upset? It is the truth. We are just
discreet about it because we are embarrassed. The truth is that people these
days commit adultery all the time, but do not realize that they are doing it.
People commit adultery in their souls, too.
We, who were created by God, live on this earth without ever realizing that we
also commit spiritual adultery. Worshiping other gods is the same as committing
spiritual adultery because the Lord is the only Husband of all mankind.
The woman who was caught in the act was a
human being, just like the rest of us, and she received the grace of God, just
as we who were redeemed did. But the hypocritical Pharisees made her stand in
their presence and pointed fingers at her as if they were judges, about to
throw stones at her. They were about to rebuke and judge her as if they
themselves were pure, and had never committed adultery.
Fellow Christians, those who know themselves
to be a mass of sin do not judge others before God. Rather, knowing that they,
too, commit adultery all their lives, they receive the grace of God which has
redeemed us all. Only those who realize that they are sinners who have
committed adultery all along are eligible to be redeemed before God.
Who
Receives God's Grace?
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Who
receives
God's grace?
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|
The
unworthy
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Does one who lives purely without committing
adultery receive His grace, or does the unworthy one who admits oneself to be
so sinful receive His grace? The one who receives grace is the one who receives
the abundant grace of His redemption. Those who cannot help themselves, the
weak and helpless, receive redemption. They are the ones who are in His grace.
Those who think that they are without sin
cannot be redeemed. How can they receive the grace of His redemption when there
is nothing to redeem?
The scribes and Pharisees dragged the woman
who had been caught in the act of adultery before Jesus and set her in their
midst and asked Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in
the very act. Now, what do You say?" Why did they bring the woman before
Him and test Him?
They themselves had also committed adultery
many times, but they were trying to judge and kill her through Jesus while
trying to put the blame on Him.
Jesus knew what was on their minds and knew
all about the woman. So He said, "He who is without sin among you, let
him throw a stone at her first." Then the scribes and Pharisees,
starting from the oldest to the youngest, left one by one and only Jesus and
the woman were left.
The ones who left were the scribes and
Pharisees, the religious leaders. They were about to judge the woman who had
been caught in the very act of adultery, as if they themselves were not
sinners.
Jesus proclaimed His love in this world. He
was the Host of love. Jesus gave people food, brought back the dead, gave life
back to the son of a widow, revived Lazarus of Bethany, healed lepers, and
performed miracles for the poor. He took all the sins of sinners away and gave
them salvation.
Jesus loves us. He is the almighty One who
can do anything, but the Pharisees and scribes thought Him to be their enemy.
That is why they brought the woman before Him and tested Him.
They asked, "Teacher, Moses, in the
law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?"
They thought that He would tell them to stone her. Why? If we were to judge
according to what is written in the law of God, everyone who has committed
adultery would be stoned to death without exception.
All have to be stoned to death and all are
destined to go to hell. The wages of sin is death. However, Jesus didn't tell
them to stone her. Instead, He said, "He who is without sin among you,
let him throw a stone at her first."
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Why did
God give us
the 613 articles of the Law?
|
|
To make us
realize that
we are sinners
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The Law brings about wrath. God is holy and
so is His Law. This Holy Law came to us in 613 articles. The reason God has
given us 613 articles of the Law is to make us realize that we are sinners;
that we are incomplete beings. It teaches us that we have to long for God's
grace to be redeemed. If we didn't know this and thought about only what was
written in the Law, we would've had to be stoned to death, just as the woman
who was caught in the act.
The scribes and Pharisees who didn't know the
truth of His Law might have thought that they could throw stones at the woman
and, probably at us, too. But, who could dare to throw stones at a helpless
woman as the same sinful being? Even if she was caught in the act, no one in
this world could throw stones at her.
If the woman and each one of us were judged
only according to the Law, we, as well as the woman, would have received a
terrible judgment. But Jesus saved us, we who are sinners, from our sins and
from the just judgment. With all our sins, if the law of God is applied
strictly to the letter, who among us could stay alive? Every single one of us
would end up in hell.
But the scribes and Pharisees knew of the Law
only as it was written. If His Law was applied correctly, it would kill them
just as surely as the one judged by them. In fact, the law of God was given to
men so that they could realize their sins, but they have suffered because they
have misunderstood and misapplied it.
The Pharisees of today, just as the Pharisees
in the Bible, only know the Law as it is written. They should understand the
grace, the justice and the truth of God. They have to be taught the gospel of
redemption to be saved.
The Pharisees said, "The law
commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" They
asked, confidently holding their stones. They thought for sure that Jesus
wouldn't have anything to say about it. They were waiting for Jesus to take
their bait.
If Jesus had judged according to the Law,
they would also have stoned him. Their purpose was to stone both of the woman
and Jesus. If Jesus had said not to stone the woman, they would have said that
Jesus scorned the Law of God, and stoned Him for blasphemy. It was a terrible
plot!
But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the
ground with His finger, and they continued asking Him, "What do You say?
What are You writing on the ground? Just answer our question. What do You
say?" They pointed their fingers at Jesus and kept harassing Him.
Then, Jesus stood up and told them that the
one among them without sin should throw a stone at her first. Then He stooped
down and continued writing on the ground. Those who heard it, being convicted
by their consciences, left one by one, beginning with the oldest, to the very
last person. Jesus was left alone, with the woman standing in His presence.
"He
Who Is without Sin among You, Let Him Throw a Stone at Her First"
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Where are
sins
recorded?
|
|
On the
tablet of our hearts
and in the Books of Works
|
Jesus told them, "He who is without
sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first," and He kept on
writing on the ground. A couple of older ones started to walk away. The older
Pharisees, who had committed more sins, might go away first. The young ones
left as well. Let's suppose Jesus was standing among us, and we were standing
around the woman. If Jesus had said to us that one who was among us should
throw a stone first, what would you have done?
What had Jesus been writing on the ground?
God, who created us, writes our sins in two different places.
First, He writes our sins on the tablet of
our hearts. "The sins of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with the
point of a diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their heart, and on the
horns of your altars" (Jeremiah 17:1).
God talks to us through Judah, who is our
representative. The sins of human beings are engraved with a pen of iron, with
the point of a diamond. They are recorded on the tablet of our hearts. Jesus
stooped down and wrote on the ground that all men are sinners.
God knows that we sin and He engraves sins on
the tablet of our hearts. First, He records our works, the sins that are
committed, because we are fragile before the Law. As the sins are recorded in
our hearts, we realize that we are sinners when we look at the Law. Since He
recorded them in our hearts and consciences, we know that we are sinners before
Him.
Jesus stooped down the second time to write
on the ground. The Scripture also says that all our sins are recorded in the
Books of Works before God (Revelation 20:12). Every sinner's name and his/her
sins are recorded in the Book. They are also recorded on the tablet of the
person's heart. Our sins are recorded both in the Book of Works and on the
tablet of our hearts.
The sins are recorded on the tablet of
everyone's heart, young or old. That is why they had nothing to say about their
sin before Jesus. They, who tried to stone the woman, were helpless before His
words.
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When are
our sins which are
recorded in two places erased?
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When we
accept the redemption of the water
and the blood of Jesus in our hearts.
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However, when you receive His salvation, all
your sins in the Book of Works are erased and your name will be listed in the
Book of Life. Those whose names appear in the Book of Life go to Heaven. Their
good deeds, the things they have done in this world for the kingdom of God and
His righteousness are also recorded in the Book of Life. They are accepted into
Heaven. Those who are delivered from their sins will enter the place of
eternity.
Remember that all the sins of every person
are recorded in two places, so no one can deceive God. There isn't anyone who
has not sinned or committed adultery in his or her heart. All people are
sinners and are imperfect.
Those who have not accepted the redemption of
Jesus in their hearts cannot but agonize over their sins. They are not
confident. They are afraid of God and others because of their sins. But the
moment they accept the gospel of the redemption of the water and the Spirit in
their hearts, all the sins recorded on the tablets of their hearts and in the
Book of Works are wiped clean. They are delivered from all their sins.
There is the Book of Life in Heaven. The
names of those who believe in the redemption of the water and the Spirit are
recorded in the book, so they will enter Heaven. They enter Heaven not because
they haven't sinned in this world, but because they have been delivered from
all their sins by believing in the redemption of the water and the Spirit. It
is 'the law of faith' (Romans 3:27).
Fellow Christians, the scribes and Pharisees
were sinners, just as the woman who was caught in the very act of adultery was.
In fact, they might have committed more sins
because they deceived themselves and other people into believing that they were
not sinners. The religious leaders were thieves with formal permits. They were
thieves of souls, in other words, the thieves of life. They dared to teach
others authoritatively, even though they themselves had not yet been redeemed.
There is no one who is without sin according
to the Law. But a person can become righteous, not because he/she has not
committed sin, but because he/she has been redeemed from all sins. Such a
person is recorded in the Book of Life. The important thing is whether one's
name has been recorded in the Book of Life or not. Since people cannot live
without committing sins all their lives, they must eternally be redeemed in
order to be recorded in the book.
Whether you will be accepted into Heaven
depends upon whether you believe in the true gospel or not. Whether or not you
receive the grace of God depends upon your acceptance of Jesus' salvation. What
happened to the woman who was caught? She might have thrown herself down on her
knees and closed her eyes because she knew she was going to die. She was
probably crying in fear and repentance. People become honest with themselves
when they face death.
"Oh, God, it is proper that I have to
die. Please accept my soul into Thy hands, and take pity on me. Please take pity
on me, Jesus." She pleaded to Jesus for the love of redemption. "God,
if You judge me, I will be judged, and if You say I am without sin, then my
sins will be erased. It is up to You." She was probably saying all of
these things. She may have confessed that everything was left up to Jesus.
The woman who was brought before Jesus didn't
say, "I did wrong, please forgive me for my adultery." She said,
"Please save me from my sins. If You redeem my sins, I will be saved. If
not, I will go to hell. I need your redemption. I need the love of God, and I
need Him to take pity on me." She closed her eyes and confessed her
sinfulness.
And Jesus asked her, "Where are those
accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" She answered, "No
one, Lord."
And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I
condemn you." Jesus didn't condemn her because He had already taken
away all her sins through His baptism at the Jordan river, and she was already
redeemed. Now, Jesus, not the woman, had to be judged for her sins.
He
Said, " Neither Do I Condemn You."
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Was she
condemned
by Jesus?
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No
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This woman was blessed with the salvation in
Jesus. She was redeemed of all her sins. Our Lord Jesus tells us that He
redeemed all our sins and that we are all righteous.
He tells us so in the Bible. He died on the
Cross to pay for our sins, which He took away with His baptism at the Jordan
River. He clearly tells us that He redeemed all who believe in the redemption
of His baptism and judgment on the Cross. All of us need the written Word of
Jesus and need to hold on to the Word. Then, we will all be blessed with
redemption.
"God, I have no merit before You. I have
nothing good inside me. I have nothing to show You but my sins. But I believe
that Jesus is my Lord of redemption. He took away all my sins at the Jordan
River and atoned for them on the Cross. He took away all my sins with His
baptism and His blood. I do believe in You, Lord."
This is how you are saved. Jesus does not
'condemn us.' He gave us the right to be God's children: To those who believe
in the redemption of the water and the Spirit, He has taken away all their sins
and made them righteous.
Dear friends! The woman was redeemed. The
woman who was caught in adultery was blessed with the redemption of our Lord
Jesus. We can also be blessed like that. Anyone who knows of his/her sins and
asks God to take pity on him/her, and anyone who believes in the redemption of
the water and the Spirit in Jesus receives the blessing of redemption from God.
Those who admit their sinfulness before God can be redeemed, but those who do
not realize their own sins cannot be blessed with redemption.
Jesus took away the sins of the world (John
1:29). Any sinner in the world can be redeemed if he/she believes in Jesus.
Jesus said to the woman, "Neither do I condemn you." He said
that He did not condemn her because all her sins had already been born onto Him
through His baptism. He took all our sins onto Himself, and He was judged for them
instead of us.
We
Have to Be Redeemed before Jesus
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Which is
greater, the
love of God or the
judgment of God?
|
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The love
of God
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The Pharisees, with stones in their hands, as
well as the religious leaders of today, interpret the Law to the letter. They
believe that since the Law tells us not to commit adultery, one who commits
such sins will be stoned to death. They steal a glance at women with lewd eyes
while pretending not to commit adultery. They cannot be redeemed nor saved. The
Pharisees and scribes were the moralists of this world. They were not the ones
Jesus called. These people never heard from Him, "I will not condemn
you."
Only the woman who was caught in adultery
heard those joyous words. If you are honest before Him, you can also be blessed
like her. "God, I cannot but commit adultery all my life. That I am not
aware of it is just because I do it so often. I commit such a sin several times
each day."
When we accept the Law and the fact that we
are sinners who must die and honestly face God, saying, "God, this is what
I am. Please save me," God will bless us with His redemption.
The love of Jesus, the gospel of the water
and the Spirit has won over the just judgment of God. "Neither do I
condemn you." He does not condemn us. He says, "You are
redeemed." Our Lord Jesus Christ is the God of compassion. He has
delivered us from all the sins of the world.
Our God is the God of Justice and the God of
Love. The love of the water and the Spirit is even greater than His judgment.
His
Love Is Greater Than His Justice
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Why did He
redeem us all?
|
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Because
His love is greater
than His justice.
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If God had enforced His judgment to complete
His justice, He would have judged all sinners and sent them to hell. But
because the love of Jesus, which saves us from the judgment, is greater, God
sent His only Son, Jesus. Jesus took all our sins onto Himself and received
just judgment for all of us. Now, anyone who believes in Jesus as their Savior
becomes His child and righteous. Since His love is greater than His justice, He
redeemed us all.
We must thank God that He doesn't judge us
only with His justice. Once Jesus told the scribes, the Pharisees, and their
disciples, "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not
sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to
repentance" (Matthew 9:13). Some people may still kill a cow or a goat
everyday and offer it before God, praying, "God, forgive my sins everyday."
God does not want our offerings, but rather, our belief in the redemption of
the water and the Spirit. He wants us to be redeemed and delivered. He wants to
give us His love and accept our faiths. Can you all see this? Jesus has given
us His perfect salvation.
Jesus hates sin, but He has a burning love
for human beings, who were created in the image of God. He had decided even
before Creation to make us His children, and blotted out all our sins with His
baptism and blood. God created us to eventually redeem us, to clothe us in
Jesus, and to make us His children. This is the love He has for us, His
creations.
If God only judged us according to His just
Law, we, the sinners, would all have to die. But He delivered us through the
baptism and the judgment of His Son at the Cross. Do you believe? Let's confirm
it in the Old Testament.
Aaron
Laid His Hands on the Scapegoat
|
Who passed
the sins of
Israel on to the live goat
as their representative?
|
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The High
Priest
|
All the sins of this world were expiated through
the faith in the ordination of the Old Testament and the baptism of the New
Testament. In the Old Testament, all the yearly sins of Israel were atoned
through the High Priest, who laid his hands on the head of a live goat without
any blemishes.
"And Aaron shall lay both his hands
on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the
children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins,
putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness
by the hand of a suitable man" (Leviticus 16:21).
This is how they were atoned in the days of
the Old Testament. To be redeemed from the daily sins, one brought a lamb or a
goat without blemishes to the tabernacle and offered it at the altar. He put
his hands on the head of the offering, and then his sins were passed on to the
sacrifice. Then, the sacrifice was killed and the priest put its blood on the
horns of the altar.
There were horns on the four corners of the
altar. These horns symbolize the Books of Works written in Revelations 20:12.
The sacrifice's remaining blood was sprinkled on the ground too. The ground
represented the heart of man because man was created from dust. The people
atoned for their daily sins this way.
However, they could not make sin offerings
daily, so, God allowed them to be atoned once a year for all their yearly sins.
This was performed on the tenth day of the seventh month, the Day of Atonement.
On that day, the High Priest, the representative of all Israelites, brought two
goats and laid his hands on them to pass all the sins of the people on to them
and offered them before God to make atonement for the people of Israel.
"Aaron laid both his hands on the
head of the live goat, confessed over it all the iniquities of the children of
Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them
on the head of the goat."
God had appointed Aaron, the High Priest of
Israel, to be the representative. Instead of everyone having to lay his hands
on the offerings individually, the high priest, as the representative of all
people, laid his hands on the head of the live goat for the remission of the
year's sins.
He would narrate all the sins of Israel
before God, "O God, Your children of Israel have sinned. We have worshiped
idols, broken all articles of Thy Law, called Thy name in vain, created other
idols and loved them more than Thee. We didn't keep the Sabbath holy, didn't
respect our parents, killed, committed adultery and thievery.... We indulged in
jealousy and quarrels."
He listed all the sins. "God, neither
the people of Israel nor I have been able to keep any of Thy Law. To be
redeemed of all these sins, I lay my hands on the head of this goat and pass
onto it all those sins." The high priest laid his hands on the offering
for all the people and passed all the sins onto the head of the offering.
Ordination, or the laying on of hands means 'to pass' (Leviticus 1:1-4,
16:20-21).
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How was
the atonement
accomplished in the time
of the Old Testament?
|
|
Through
the laying of hands
on the head of the
sin offering
|
God had given the sacrificial system to the
people of Israel so that they could pass on all their sins and be redeemed. He
specified that one should prepare a sin offering without blemishes and that the
sin offering should die instead of the person. The redemption of individual
sinners was like that.
However, on the Day of Atonement, the sin
offering was killed and its blood was taken inside the Holy Place and sprinkled
on the mercy seat seven times. Thus, the people of Israel atoned for a year's
sin on the tenth day of the seventh month.
The high priest entered the Holy Place alone
to offer the sacrifice, but people gathered outside and listened to the sound
of the golden bells on the hem of the robe of the ephod of the High Priest. The
golden bells rang seven times as the blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat.
Then, the people would rejoice that all their sins were atoned. The sound of
the golden bells implies the sound of the joyous gospel.
It is not true that Jesus loves some selected
people and redeems only them. Jesus took away all the sins of the world all at
once with His baptism. He wanted to deliver us once and for all. Our sins could
not be redeemed every day, so they were blotted out all at once.
In the Old Testament, atonement was given
through ordination and the blood of the sin offering. Aaron laid his hands on
the head of a live goat in front of all the people and listed all the sins that
people had committed during the year. He passed the sins onto the goat in front
of all Israelites. Where did the sins of the people go after the laying hands
of the High Priest on the scapegoat? They were all passed onto the goat.
Then, the goat was led away by a 'suitable man.'
The goat, with all the sins of Israel upon it, was led to the desert where
there was no water and no grass. The goat, then, would wander the desert under
the burning sun and finally die. The goat died for the sins of the Israelites.
This is the love of God, the love of
redemption. This is how they atoned for a year's worth of sins in those days.
But we are living in the time of the New Testament. It has been about 2000
years since Jesus came down to our world. He came and fulfilled the promise
that He had made in the Old Testament. He came and redeemed all our sins.
To
Redeem Us All
|
What's the
meaning
of JESUS
|
|
The Savior
who will save His
people from their sins
|
Let's read Matthew 1:20-21. "But
while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to
him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you
Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And
she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save
His people from their sins'" (Matthew 1:20-21).
Our Father in Heaven borrowed the Virgin
Mary's body to send His Son to this world to wash away all the sins of the
world. He sent an angel to Mary and told her, "And behold, you
will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name
JESUS." It meant that the Son coming through Mary would become the
Savior. Jesus Christ means the one who will save His people, in other words, the
Savior.
Then, how did Jesus save all of us from sin?
The way Jesus took away all the sins of the world was through His baptism at
the Jordan River. When John the Baptist baptized Him, all the sins of the world
were passed onto Him. Let's read Matthew 3:13-17.
"Then Jesus came from Galilee to John
at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying 'I
have need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?' But Jesus answered
and said to him, 'Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to
fulfill all righteousness.' Then he allowed Him. Then Jesus, when He had been
baptized, came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were
opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting
upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased.'"
Jesus went to John the Baptist to redeem all
of us from our sins. He walked into the water and lowered His head before John.
"John, baptize Me now. It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.
As I am to take away all the sins of the world and deliver all sinners from
their sins, I need to take away their sins with baptism. Baptize Me now! Allow
it!"
Thus, it was fitting to fulfill all righteousness.
Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River and right at that
moment, all the righteousness of God that redeemed our sins was fulfilled.
This is how He took away all our sins. All
your sins were passed onto Jesus, too. Do you understand this?
Believe in the redemption of Jesus' baptism
and the Spirit and be saved.
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How was
all
righteousness fulfilled
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Through
the baptism
of Jesus
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God had first promised Israel that all the
sins of the world would be washed away with the laying on of hands and the
sacrifice of the sin offering. However, as it was impossible for everyone to
lay hands on the head of the goat individually, God consecrated Aaron to be the
high priest so that he could offer the sacrifice for all the people. Thus, he
passed all their yearly sins onto the head of the sin offering all at once.
This was His Wisdom and the Power of redemption. God is wise and amazing.
He sent His Son Jesus to save the whole world.
So the sin offering was ready. Now, there had to be a representative of all
human beings, one who would lay his hands on the head of Jesus and pass on all
the sins of the world onto Him. That representative was John the Baptist. It is
written in the Bible that God sent the representative of all humankind before
Jesus.
It was John the Baptist, the last high priest
of man. As it is written in Matthew 11:11, "Among those born of women
there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist." He is the only
representative of humans. He sent John as the representative of all human
beings so that he could baptize Jesus and pass on all the sins of the world to
Him.
If six billion people on earth went to Jesus
now and each had to lay their hands on Jesus to pass on their sins, what would
happen to His head? If more than six billion people in this world had to lay
their hands on Jesus, it would not be a pretty sight. Some enthusiastic people
might press down so hard that all His hair would fall out. Thus, God, in His
wisdom, appointed John to be our representative and passed all the sins of the
world onto Jesus, once and for all.
It is recorded in Matthew 3:13, "Then
Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him."
This was when Jesus was 30 years old. Jesus was circumcised 8 days after His
birth, and there are few records of Him from then until He turned 30.
The reason Jesus had to wait until He was 30
years old was to become the lawful heavenly High Priest, according to the Old
Testament. In Deuteronomy, God told Moses that the high priest should be at
least 30 before he could minister the high priesthood. Jesus was the heavenly
High Priest. Do you believe this?
In the New Testament, in Matthew 3:13-14, it
says, "Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be
baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying 'I have need to be
baptized by You.'" Who is the representative of humankind? John the
Baptist. Then, who is the representative of Heaven? Jesus Christ is. The
representatives met. Then who is the higher? Of course, the representative of
Heaven is higher.
So John the Baptist, who was so bold as to
cry out to the religious leaders in those days, "Brood of vipers!
Repent!" suddenly became humble before Jesus. "I have need to be
baptized by You, and are You coming to me?"
At this point, Jesus said, "Permit it
to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."
Jesus came to this world to fulfill the righteousness of God, and it was
fulfilled when John the Baptist baptized Him.
"Then he allowed Him. Then Jesus,
when He had been baptized, came up immediately from the water and the heavens
were opened up to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and
alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is My
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'"
This is what happened when He was baptized.
The gates of Heaven were opened up when He was baptized by John the Baptist and
took away all the sins of the world.
"And from the days of John the
Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take
it by force" (Matthew 11:12).
All the prophets and the law of God had
prophesied up to John the Baptist. "And from the days of John the
Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take
it by force." Everyone who believes in His baptism can enter the
Kingdom of Heaven without exception.
"Neither
Do I Condemn You"
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Why was
Jesus
judged at the Cross?
|
|
Because He
took away
all our sins.
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Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and
took away all the sins of the world. Later, He told the woman who was caught in
the act of adultery, "Neither do I condemn you." He didn't
condemn the woman because He took away all the sins of the world at the Jordan
and He Himself, not the woman, had to be judged for those sins.
Jesus blotted out all the sins of the world.
We can see how afraid He was of the pain He would have to endure on the Cross
because 'the wages of sin is death.' He prayed to God three times on the
Mount of Olives to take this judgment away from Him. Jesus was flesh and blood,
just like other human beings, so it is understandable that He was afraid of the
pain. Jesus had to bleed to fulfill the judgment.
Just as the sin offerings in the Old
Testament had to bleed to pay for the sins, He had to be sacrificed on the
Cross. He had already taken away all the sins of the world and now He had to
give His life for our redemption. He knew that He had to be judged before God.
Jesus didn't have any sin in His heart, but
as all sins were passed onto Him through His baptism, God had to judge His own
Son now. Thus, in the first place, the justice of God was fulfilled and
secondly, He bestowed His love on us for our salvation. Therefore, Jesus had to
be judged on the Cross.
"Neither do I condemn you, nor do I
judge you." All our sins, intentional or unintentional, recognized
or unrecognized, had to be judged by God.
However, God did not judge us. God judged
Jesus, who had taken all our sins onto Himself by His baptism. God did not want
to judge sinners because of His love and His compassion. The baptism and the
blood on the Cross was His redemptive love for us. "For God so loved
the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
This is how we know of His love. Jesus didn't
condemn the woman who was caught in the act of adultery.
She knew that she was a sinner for she was
caught in the very adulterous act. She not only had sin in her heart, but also
carried it in the flesh. There was no way she could deny her sin. However,
because she believed that Jesus took away all her sins, she was saved. If we
believe in Jesus' redemption, we will be saved. Believe it! It is for our own
good.
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Who are
the most
blessed?
|
|
Those who
have no sin
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All people sin. All people commit adultery.
But all people are not judged for their sins. We have all sinned, but those who
believe in the redemption of Jesus Christ are sinless in their hearts. One who
believes in the salvation of Jesus is the happiest person. Those who are
delivered from all their sins are the most blessed. In other words, they are now
righteous in Jesus.
God tells us about happiness in Romans 4:7, "Blessed
are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered."
We all sin until the time we die. We are lawless and incomplete before God. We
continue to sin even after we are aware of His Law. We are so weak.
But God delivered us with the baptism and the
blood of His only begotten Son and tells us, you and I, that we are no longer
sinners, and that we are now righteous before Him. He tells us that we are His
children.
The gospel of the water and the Spirit is the
gospel of eternal redemption. Do you believe it? To those who believe, He calls
them the righteous, the redeemed and His children. Who is the happiest person
in this world? The one who believes and has been delivered by believing in the
true gospel. Have you been delivered?
Did Jesus omit taking your sins? No, He took
all your sins with His baptism. Believe it. Believe and be redeemed of all your
sins. Let's read John 1:29.
Just
as If Swept Away with a Broom
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How much
sin did
Jesus take away?
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|
All the
sins of
the world
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"The next day John saw Jesus coming
toward him, and said, 'Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world!'" (John 1:29)
"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes
away the sin of the world!"
John the Baptist passed all the sins of the
world onto Jesus at the Jordan. The next day, he witnessed that Jesus was the
Lamb of God who took away all the sins of the world. He took on to His
shoulders all the sins of the world.
All the sins of the world refer to all the
sins that human beings commit in this world, from Creation until its end. About
2000 years ago, Jesus took away all the sins of the world and redeemed us. As
the Lamb of God, He took away all our sins and was judged for us.
Any sin that we human beings commit was
passed on to Jesus. He became the Lamb of God who took away all the sins of the
world.
Jesus came to this world as a humble man, as
the One who would save all the sinners of the world. We commit sin because we
are weak, wicked, ignorant, and because we are silly and incomplete. In other
words, we sin because we inherited sin from our common ancestor, Adam.
All these sins were swept up and put on the head of Jesus through His baptism
at the Jordan. He ended it all with the death of His flesh on the Cross. He was
buried, but God raised Him from the dead on the third day.
As the Savior of all sinners, as the
Victorious, as the Judge, He now sits at the right hand of God. He does not
have to redeem us again and again. All we have to do is believe in Him to be
saved. Eternal life awaits those who believe, and destruction awaits those who
do not believe. There is no other choice.
Jesus delivered you all. You are the happiest
people on earth. You surely will commit sins in the future because of your
weaknesses, but He took all those sins too.
Is there any sin left in your heart? —No—
Did Jesus take it all? —Yes! He did.—
All people are the same. No one is holier
than his/her neighbor. But as so many people are hypocrites, they believe they
are not sinners, when indeed, they are sinners too. This world is the
greenhouse that nurtures sin.
When women step out of their houses, they put
on red lipstick, powder their faces, curl their hair, dress in nice clothes,
and wear high-heels.... Men also go to a barber to get their hair cut, groom
themselves, put on clean shirts and fashionable ties, and shine their shoes.
But while they may look like princes and
princesses on the outside, they are absolutely filthy on the inside.
Does money make men happy? Does health make
men happy? No. Only the eternal redemption, the forgiveness of all sins, makes
people truly happy. No matter how happy a person looks on the outside, the
person is miserable if he/she has sin in his/her heart. Such a person lives in
fear of judgment.
A redeemed person is bold like a lion, even
in rags. There is no sin in his/her heart. "Thank you Lord, You saved a
sinner like me. You blotted out all my sins. I know I am unworthy of receiving
Your love, but I praise You for saving me. I am eternally redeemed of all my
sins. Glory be to God!"
A person who is delivered is a truly happy
one. A person who has been blessed with His grace of redemption is a truly
happy one.
Because Jesus, 'the Lamb of God who takes
away the sin of the world,' has taken away all our sins, we are without
sin. He 'finished' salvation for us at the Cross. All our sins,
including yours and mine, are included in 'the sin of the world,' and
therefore, we are all saved.
By
God's Will
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Do we have
sin
in our hearts when we are
in Jesus Christ?
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No, we
don't.
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Dear friends, the woman who was caught in
adultery believed in the words of Jesus and she was saved. Her story is
recorded in the Bible because she was blessed with His eternal redemption.
However, the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees ran away from Jesus.
If you believe in Jesus, it is Heaven that
awaits you, but if you leave Jesus, you will go to hell. If you believe in His
righteous acts, it is like Heaven, but if you do not believe in His works, it
is like hell. Redemption is not up to the endeavors of any individual, but to
the salvation of Jesus.
Let's read Hebrews 10. "For the law,
having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the
things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year
by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased
to be offered? For the worshipers, once purged, would have had no more
consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins
every year, For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take
away sins. Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: 'Sacrifice and
offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt
offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I
have come —in the volume of the book it is written of Me—to do Your will, O
God.'' He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will
we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once
for all" (Hebrews 10:1-10).
"By God's will" Jesus offered His life to take our sins all at once,
and was judged all at once and resurrected.
Therefore, we have been sanctified. 'Have
been sanctified, (Hebrews 10:10)' is written in the present complete tense.
It means that our redemption was completed absolutely, and does not need to be
mentioned again. You have been sanctified.
"And every priest stands ministering
daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away
sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat
down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made
His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being
sanctified" (Hebrews 10: 11-14).
You are all sanctified forever. If you commit
sins tomorrow, will you become a sinner again? Didn't Jesus take away those sins
also? He did. He took away the sins of the future, too.
The phrase 'there is remission of these'
means that He expiated all the sins of the world. Jesus is our Savior, both my
Savior and your Savior. Believing in Jesus has saved us. This is the redemption
in Jesus and the greatest grace and present from God. You and I, who have been
redeemed of all sins, are the most blessed of all! "But the Holy Spirit also witnesses
to us; for after He had said before, 'This is the covenant that I will make
with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their
hearts, and in their minds I will write them.' then He adds, 'Their sins and
their lawless deeds I will remember no more.' Now where there is remission of
these, there is no longer an offering for sin" (Hebrews 10:15-18).
